Umbrella or rain jacket? How Vancouver prepares for a rainstorm
Lots of rain is about to soak Vancouver and much of the Lower Mainland like a fire hose, so will residents brave the rainstorm with an umbrella or jacket?
Throughout Vancouver’s history, many debates have been as divisive as the BC leader’s debate about how to prepare for rain.
We asked Vancouver residents whether they prefer to wield an umbrella, wear a rain jacket, or leave the house in shorts and flip-flops, and here’s what they said.
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In a poll, we asked Vancouver residents and social media at large whether they prefer to use an umbrella, rain jacket, poncho, or nothing when navigating a rainstorm like the one Vancouver is bracing for.
After an hour of voting, there seems to be quite the aversion to umbrellas, with most folks saying they’d prefer to have no protection from the rain rather than carry an umbrella around.
There are lots of hot wet takes on rain in #Vancouver.
I personally am team umbrella but I hear from some that’s not very Vancouver of me.
What about you? Rain jacket or Umbrella?
— Amir Ali ⌨️☕️🏴☠️ (@AmirsDoingItAll) October 18, 2024
You have to vote to see the results, but after about an hour of voting, the rain jacket was ahead by a mile.
X
A little later, the umbrella began to gain steam, overtaking nothing in the poll. Umbrella could upset nothing, but the rain jacket will likely triumph in this poll.
X
The poncho didn’t get a lot of love. Others said they preferred a rain jacket and umbrella combination for that 1-2 anti-rain punch.
We got one interesting response about the negative sentiments about umbrellas, suggesting umbrella etiquette was the problem.
If people knew how to walk with an umbrella like they do in UK I’d be all for it. Since they don’t I hate “avoid getting my eye poked out season…🥹🥹🥹”
— Aztec37 (@aztec737) October 18, 2024
X user Aztec37 speaks for all of us who have nearly been gouged in the eyes by umbrellas. There’s also an argument for umbrellas’ lack of durability and the tendency for residents to lose them.
I don’t like poking people in the eye with my umbrella so I go with rain jacket
— Colleen (@GrillCheezKilla) October 18, 2024
Yes, there’s a storm comin’
sun ok/Shutterstock
If you missed it, Vancouver’s urban areas will experience 40 to 70 mm of rain.
Strong winds will also accompany the atmospheric river. The gusts are predicted to reach upwards of 80 kilometres per hour.
Environment and Climate Change Canada advises Lower Mainland residents to keep their drains clear of debris so water can flow away correctly.
A second stormy pulse is expected to arrive Sunday before clear skies return next week.
Do you agree with the poll results or feel more strongly about umbrellas? Do you also agree that umbrella etiquette sucks out here? Tell us what you think about umbrellas and rain jackets and preparing for rainstorms in general in the comments below.
With files from Megan Devlin